We hope you joined us for the exciting and historic weekend

at the Battle of Bound Brook 2008: 

"The Middlebrook Encampments"

Saturday, April 12th & Sunday, April 13th

Living History at the Abraham Staats House

This two-day program explores the American Revolutionary War during the time of the Middlebrook Encampments of 1777 – 1779. Learn about and experience this important moment in American history.   Experience Living History and Learn about the American War for Independence!  Featured speakers include author John Cunningham, Professor Richard Veit, historian Kels Swan and Dr. David Valuska as “Baron von Steuben.”  18th Century Soldier’s Encampment, Ceremony at Old Stone Bridge, Colonial Crafts, Pasta Dinner, Pancake Buffet Breakfast,   Historic House tours and More!  Click on Event Schedule for dates and times.

 

 Author John Cunningham signing his book "The Uncertain Revolution" and speaking about the Revolution.

 

Below are some photos taken this past weekend

Please feel free to send us a photo from your experience at the event.

send to: Staatshousesbb@aol.com

photos taken by Jody Gibian-Miles

 

      

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About the Battle of Bound Brook

On Sunday, April 13, 1777, a four-column force of 4,000 British Crown troops led by Lord Charles Cornwallis attacked a small American garrison of about 500 commanded by General Benjamin Lincoln and located in the town of Bound Brook. The objective:  surround the town, capture the garrison and provisions located at this patriot stronghold and gain a foothold in the war against the American Revolutionary army. In the surprise attack, an advance column led by Hessian Jaeger scouts fighting for the British were pinned down by Colonial soldiers who put up a spirited resistance at the Old Stone Bridge located near the Queens’ Bridge.

The skirmish bought precious time for the bulk of the American force in Bound Brook as British forces poured into the area.  When a second column of 1,000 British soldiers charged over the Queen’s Bridge to attack, the Colonials retreated, escaping the trap.   The American army regrouped in the area later in 1777, in a larger encampment called First Middlebrook.  General Washington’s army was also settled in the winter of 1778-79 in a Second Middlebrook encampment, in the area of Bound Brook.  General Baron Frederich von Steuben made his headquarters at the home of Abraham Staats in South Bound Brook, today known as the Abraham Staats House.

 The Abraham Staats House

17 Von Steuben Lane, South Bound Brook

During the American Revolution, the house was owned by American patriot Abraham Staats, marked as an enemy of the Crown by the British. His family hosted General Baron von Steuben, drillmaster of the American Revolutionary Army, who used the house as headquarters during the Second Middlebrook encampment in the winter of 1778-79. Research indicates the earliest portion of the house dates from around 1738, with sections added around 1800 and 1840 by the Staats family, which owned the home for 200  years.  Following the Battle of Bound Brook in April 1777, a retreating British column crossed the Staats’ property, taking items which Abraham later made claim as war damages.  The home was the setting for visits by General George Washington and other key figures during the War.  The Abraham Staats House was purchased by the Borough of South Bound Brook in 1999 for historic preservation.  The South Bound Brook Historic Preservation Advisory Commission and Friends of the Abraham Staats House, Inc. are dedicated to preservation of the house, which has been placed on both the State and National Register of Historic Places. 

 The Hendrick Fisher Homestead

Grounds of the Orthodox Ukrainian Church of the USA

(north of the juncture of Easton Ave. and Davidson Ave, Franklin Township)

Hendrick Fisher, close neighbor and friend of Abraham Staats, was an ardent American patriot present at the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, who brought a copy when he returned home. Days later he read the Declaration to people gathered in Bound Brook at the Frelinghuysen Tavern, where the Klompus Thread Shop later stood. He died in 1779 and was buried on the home’s property. The Fisher house is located on the grounds of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA north of the juncture of Easton Ave. and Davidson Ave.  

Life in Camp

Encampment at The Abraham Staats House

The soldiers and camp followers will be living life in camp much as it would have been in 1777.  Visitors may tour the camp, observe camp artifacts and equipment, and see how the troops of the American Revolution, British Crown and American forces, lived and view Camp Food Preparation, Military Training and Drills, Artillery and Small Arms Practice. Members of the reenactor’s units involved in the encampment are dedicated to recreating the history of the American colonial 18th century period through demonstrations, exhibits, lectures, encampments, and interpretations.  Equipment used and clothing worn by members is authentic and documented. The men, women, and children who participate volunteer their time to recreate the lives of everyday people struggling for independence during the American Revolution. Members are encouraged to learn 18th century skills and strive for authenticity in their interpretations.  

The Old Stone Bridge

BOUND BROOK - The Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders awarded a contract to a Cranford firm to perform an environmental investigation of the old Stone Bridge at the border of Bound Brook and Middlesex on Railroad Avenue.

County Engineer Michael Amorosa said PMK Group of Cranford will do work to assess some environmental concerns surrounding the dirt which now covers much of the triple-arch bridge built in 1730 to span what once was a branch of the Green Brook. The cost is not to exceed $27,800.

Amorosa said preliminary test pits around the site seem to indicate the dirt isn't very clean and is made of cinder and ash. The fill covers most of the bridge.

The step is the next in attempts to uncover, restore and preserve the historic bridge -- one of the oldest of its kind in the state.

Local groups have cut down brush which used to hide the bridge. They also have erected a plaque describing its historic importance. According to a diary written by a Hessian soldier during the Revolutionary War, the bridge was the site of gunfire during the Battle of Bound Brook on April 13, 1777.
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